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From a voluntary and often peripheral approach, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become in recent years an essential strategic pillar for organizations of all sizes. This evolution is accompanied by increasing requirements in terms of transparency, impact measurement and extra-financial reporting.
Faced with these challenges, CSR or ESG software are emerging as essential technological solutions for structuring, managing and promoting corporate sustainable development approaches. Much more than simple data collection tools, these platforms are becoming real systems for managing extra-financial performance.
Platforms that are all the more essential as new regulations come into force, such as the CSRD directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), and thus considerably reinforce extra-financial reporting requirements for many companies. At the same time, the expectations of stakeholders - investors, customers, customers, employees, partners - are becoming more precise and more demanding in terms of the concrete demonstration of CSR commitments.
In this context, choosing the ESG software that is both the most comprehensive and best suited to your organization becomes a strategic challenge. This article will precisely guide your thinking by presenting the key functionalities of a successful solution, the strengths of the Sami software and an overview of the other solutions available.
1. Why invest in CSR software in 2025?
1.1 New regulatory requirements
With the entry into force of the CSRD, all companies with more than 1000 employees (if the Omnibus law proposed by the European Commission is validated by the European Parliament and the European Council) must publish a comprehensive sustainability report every year with the publication of several hundred environmental, social and governance indicators.
This requirement requires companies to collect and monitor their data in an optimal manner in order to integrate it into their report but also in order to analyze and improve their CSR performance. CSR software is then a major tool in order to gain efficiency in this mission.
Businesses that are not subject to the CSRD are still encouraged to produce a sustainability report using a voluntary reporting framework. The latter will be published soon by the European Commission and will be based on The VSME standard already published by EFRAG.
Discover Here is our exclusive file with all the VSME indicators, the nature of the expected data and a correspondence table with the ESRS.
1.2 Stakeholder expectations
Even if your company is not subject to a regulatory requirement, structuring a CSR approach remains essential in order to meet the increasingly high expectations of your stakeholders.
This is especially the case for your investors or your banking partners. They are increasingly attentive to the ESG performance of the companies they support and to their investment decisions.
Strengthening your CSR performance will thus allow you to:
- to facilitate access to green and sustainable finance
- to improve your extra-financial ratings
- to strengthen your credibility with responsible investors
In addition, ESG criteria are increasingly being scrutinized when making purchasing or selling decisions. Let's quote This study carried out by Deloitte in 2024:62% of M&A managers in France have already given up on a potential acquisition due to problems with ESG issues.
“Extra-financial criteria will be integrated into the analysis of credit files. We are currently tracking investments that meet the objectives of the Green Taxonomy and our advisors are conducting strategic ESG interviews to identify risks and opportunities. It is in this framework that we can offer the SAMI solution, to support our customers in their transition.”
Jelena Cohade, Director of Partnership and Commercial Development at the Bank for Energy Transition (BTE), Groupe BPCE. Read her full testimony.
In addition, more and more of your business partners, especially contractors, are also demanding CSR information from you. This is particularly the case for your partners subject to the CSRD. By structuring your CSR approach, for example by adopting reporting based on VSME standards, you ensure that you can respond to requests while following a standardized and recognized framework and by protecting yourself against excessive requests for information.
Finally, being ambitious about your CSR approach will allow you to improve your brand image and your reputation with your customers.
1.3 Competitive advantages
First of all, by responding to the challenges mentioned above and therefore to the expectations of your stakeholders (business partners, customers), you are strengthening your competitive positioning.
More and more contractors are integrating ESG criteria into their tenders, in particular linked to decarbonization. This is also the case in the responsible purchasing policies of large groups. Monitoring and improving on these indicators is becoming essential in order to continue working with these companies.
Improving its CSR performance also makes it possible to access new markets requiring sustainability guarantees but also to differentiate yourself from players who are more and more sensitive, as we said, to these challenges.
Finally, it also means strengthening the brand image and the attractiveness of the company among its employees and talents.
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2. The essential functionalities of a powerful CSR software
- Complex organizations
It is essential to ensure that your future CSR software is able to map on the platform. organizational structure of your company and therefore to build complex group CSR strategies and sustainability reports by creating a system of organizational units (subsidiaries, BU, sites...) within the same workspace.
The key stages of the project, in particular the collection of data, must be able to be managed as finely as possible thanks to this system of organizational units and the platform must be able to store the information of each of the units.
- Multi-repository software
Many companies now meet several CSR standards and no longer only one. This can be labels, evaluations, certifications, regulatory requirements...
So make sure that the ESG software you are going to select integrates the main frameworks in order to simplify your work and harmonize your CSR data between your standards: ESRS (CSRD), VSME, ISO26000, Ecovadis, CDP, Global Compact, GRI, etc.
- Double materiality analysis
The analysis of double materiality allows companies to identify their material challenges. It is mandatory for companies subject to the CSRD because it determines the information that must be published in the sustainability report.
For other companies, those that are not subject to CSRD, double materiality analysis remains essential because it will make it possible to structure the CSR approach around the most important issues for the company.
It is therefore essential to verify that the ESG software makes it possible to carry out this analysis, in particular: mapping and stakeholder consultation, Impact, Risk and Opportunity Assessment (IRO) and the generation of a matrix of double materiality.
Discover our guide dedicated to the analysis of double materiality with the details of the methodology and the analysis of a specialized CSR consultant.
- Gap analysis
Gap analysis makes it possible to identify your existing data and those that are missing to meet your CSR reference (s).
The software must allow select indicators that you want to cover, track your already available data and those to be collected, monitor the progress of your project in real time or even define contributors for each data to be collected.
- Data collection
Your future ESG software must be in a position to be an effective collection manager with the possibility of setting up a contributor network but also auditors and the presence of a scorecard to follow the progress of the collection and everyone's tasks.
The software must also allow you to collect data according to your organizational structure, including a differentiated collection according to your sites, subsidiaries, etc.
Finally, the platform must be able toimport large files, data via API and all the documents necessary to justify the data entered on the platform in order to meet the requirements of the standards or to audit your sustainability report.
- Integrating carbon data
Carbon data (greenhouse gas emissions, policies and actions on the decarbonization of your company) are essential data in almost all CSR standards. In addition, many companies monitor and manage their carbon data also with the help of software.
We therefore advise you to pool and select an ESG software that is able to measure and manage your decarbonization strategy and your CSR strategy.
And because carbon data is critical, the software must be able toautomatically integrate data from your carbon footprint, your action plans or your decarbonization trajectories for the corresponding indicators in your ESG frameworks (ESRS, VSME, EcoVadis...). This represents a significant time saver for you.
Sami, the complete solution for your CSR software
3.1 A complete software, from carbon to ESG management
The Sami software has two hubs: the Carbon Hub and the ESG Hub.
The Sami Carbon Hub allows you to measure your greenhouse gas emissions, manage your carbon data and build your action plans and decarbonization trajectories. Here are the main strengths of our Carbon Hub:
- Multi-entity management and consolidated group balance sheet: ideal for complex organizations
- The database of emission factors the most complete on the market with more than 110,000 factors
- Analytical visualization of emissions: by scope, by activity, by entity, etc.
- Catalog of customizable reduction actions: to quickly take action
- ISO 27001 certification: guaranteeing the security of your data
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3.2 Integrating your carbon data
The strength of the Sami software is not only that it has a Carbon Hub and an ESG Hub, it's that these two Hubs communicate with each other.
Thus, data from your carbon footprint, your action plan, and your decarbonization trajectory can be automatically integrated to cover similar indicators in your CSR standards.
The software also makes it possible to communicate data between the various standards or certifications and thus to take advantage of indicators already covered without having to enter them again.
3.3 A multi-reference CSR software
The Sami software covers a large number of CSR standards, whether labels, certifications or regulatory standards.
Here are the main references available:
- ESRS
- VSME
- EcoVadis
- ISO26000
- CDP
- GRI
You can also customize your framework of challenges on the software and thus use it as a real tool for managing a personalized CSR strategy.
3.4 An intuitive user interface
Our ESG software has been designed and built to be as intuitive and pleasant as possible to use, not only by the teams directly in charge of the projects (CSR departments and financial departments) but also by all employees or by other actors (auditors) who will use the platform.
This is how the Sami software makes it possible to onboard all the teams deemed useful to carry out the project successfully, by distributing the data to be collected or verified, by defining tasks, roles, access rights...
Through its interface, Sami is also an easy to use tool in order to manage its CSR strategy from A to Z, from its maturity assessment to the monitoring of indicators through the construction of the action plan.
3.5 Tailor-made support
The choice of Sami's ESG software allows you to benefit from tailor-made support:
- Personalized onboarding for a quick start
- Responsive and available support anytime to answer your questions
- Free resources on CSR topics to increase skills
- Updates regular
Sami's strength is also to work hand in hand with a hundred CSR firms in Europe who use our software on a daily basis and who can assist you in defining or monitoring your CSR strategy.
4. Overview of other CSR software in 2025
Toovalu
French CSR management solution that is distinguished by its modular approach and its comprehensive coverage of ESG issues. Toovalu offers automated data collection tools, customizable dashboards and recognized expertise in carbon footprint calculation.
Sustainsoft
Integrated platform offering a 360° vision of an organization's ESG performance. Sustainsoft is characterized by its advanced predictive analytics and multi-site management capabilities.
Greenomy
A solution specialized in European regulatory compliance, Greenomy helps large companies navigate the complexity of new requirements such as the European taxonomy and the CSRD.
Orki
Intuitive solution designed specifically for SMEs wishing to structure their CSR approach without significant dedicated resources. Orki offers a gradual approach to CSR maturity with preconfigured templates and coverage of social and societal indicators.
Kiosk
Cloud platform focused on collaborative engagement around CSR issues. Kiosk stands out for its simplified data collection tools and its participatory functionalities that allow all employees to be involved in the process.
Apiday
An agile solution that offers step-by-step support in structuring a CSR approach for SMEs. Apiday offers a library of ready-to-use indicators, CSR diagnostic tools and reporting functionalities adapted to SMEs.
Greenscope
A specialist in environmental footprints, Greenscope excels in measuring and managing carbon and environmental impacts. The solution offers advanced functionalities for life cycle analysis, carbon footprint calculation (scopes 1, 2 and 3) and simulation tools to assess various decarbonization scenarios.
We Count
Platform focused on measuring social impact and promoting positive initiatives within the organization. We Count offers tools for quantifying and monetizing social externalities, as well as impact reporting functionalities that highlight the societal contribution of the company.
Karbonpath
Solution specialized in carbon management that is distinguished by its precision and ease of use. Karbonpath combines tools for the automated measurement of emissions with functionalities for planning and monitoring reduction actions.
FAQS
How long does it take to fully implement CSR software?
Implementation time varies according to the complexity of the organization and the extent of the deployment. For an SME with a simple structure, allow 2 to 6 weeks between signature and full operationality. For a large company with several entities or subsidiaries, the implementation can last 3 to 6 months, including the phases of configuration, integration of historical data and user training. Progressive deployment by module or by entity is generally recommended for complex structures, allowing the first results to be obtained quickly while staggering the change.
How do you measure the ROI of such an investment?
The return on investment of CSR software can be evaluated through several dimensions:
- Operational efficiency gains : Reduction in the time spent collecting and processing data (generally 30 to 60% time savings compared to manual methods).
- Risk reduction : Reduction of regulatory, reputational and operational risks through better forecasting and management.
- Commercial benefits : Improvement of access to certain markets and tenders integrating CSR criteria.
- Direct savings : Identification of optimizations (energy, materials, etc.) that generate financial savings.
- Intangible valuation : Reinforcement of the employer brand and reputation, potentially quantifiable via perception studies.
For an accurate calculation, establish your numerical objectives in advance and set up monitoring indicators as soon as the solution is deployed.
What internal skills are needed to manage CSR software?
The ideal profile combines:
- CSR business skills : Knowledge of CSR issues, standards and applicable regulations.
- Analytical skills : Ability to interpret data and identify significant trends.
- Technical skills : Familiarity with digital tools and data management (a level of expertise equivalent to that required for advanced office tools is generally sufficient).
- Managerial skills : Ability to mobilize and coordinate various contributors in the organization.
For SMEs, these skills can be divided between several employees. Editors generally offer training courses that allow you to increase your skills quickly. For specific topics (such as complex carbon footprint calculation), external support may be recommended, at least initially.
Is CSR software adapted to the requirements of the CSRD or the VSME framework?
It all depends on the software publishers! The main CSR software on the market have anticipated the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and offer specific functionalities to meet them.
When selecting, explicitly ask for CSRD and VSME compliance features if these are the standards you are interested in.
Should we prefer a general solution or specialized tools?
The choice between a generalist or a specialized approach depends on several factors:
General solution (advantages) :
- Integrated vision of CSR performance
- Single interface for all users
- Consistency of data and methodologies
- Simplifying CSR governance
Specialized solutions (benefits) :
- In-depth expertise in specific areas (carbon, biodiversity, social, etc.)
- Advanced functionalities adapted to specific challenges
- Regular updating of reference methodologies
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Our other items:
- CSRD in 2025: The news and everything you need to know about sustainability reporting
- VSME: a comprehensive guide to the voluntary sustainability reporting framework for SMEs
- ESRS standards: understanding everything about European reporting standards
- CSRD: understand everything about the ESRS E1 climate change standard
- The best carbon footprint software in 2025: how to choose the ideal solution for your business?
- Understand and pass your EcoVadis assessment
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